Metal tower structures



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' METAL TOWER STRUCTURES Filed June 25, 1956 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 5 INVENTOR ROBERT m WEE/{8 .lOb

10 ATTORNEY R. W. WEEKS METAL TOWER STRUCTURES July 22, 1958 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed June 25, 1956 v INVENTOR ROBERT W WEEKS P in 2,844,231 Patented July 22, 1958 METAL TOWER STRUCTURES Robert W. Weeks, West Chester, Pa., assignor to Wind Turbine Company, West Chester, Pa., a corporation of Pennsylvania Application June 25, 1956, Serial No. 593,736 4 Claims. (Cl. 189-13) This invention relates to tower structures, and in particular to tower structures formed of metal rods and other metal stock forms.

A general object of the invention is to devise a tower structure of relatively light weight and good rigidity and strength against bending and twisting.

A further object is to provide a novel step structure for climbing the tower.

The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing in which:

Figure 1 is an end view as seen from the bottom of one section of my improved tower structure having a triangular transverse section;

Figure 2 is an elevational view of one side of the tower structure illustrated in Figure 1 but on a smaller scale; and

Figure 3 is a view similar to Figure 1 showing a modified tower construction using a different form of vertical spar.

For a self-supporting tower, the construction involves at least three vertical spars arranged at the corners of a polygon, such as the vertical rods A, B and C of Figure 1 arranged at the corners of an equilateral triangle. These spars are held in fixed relation to each other by lateral bracing means extending between each pair of spars.

Since the bracing is the same for each pair of spars, only the bracing between spars A and B will be described. This bracing includes two rods 3 and 4 bent into serpentine form arranged side by side and extending parallel with the spars A and B. One set of loops or bends 3a of the serpentine rod 3 are arranged in overlapping relation with the spar A, each bend being welded to the spar at the two points where it crosses the spar.. In a similar manner, one set of bends or loops 4a of the serpentine rod 4 are arranged in overlapping relation with the spar B and are welded to the spar at the points of contact and at elevations corresponding to the locations of the bends 3a. The other two sets of bends, 3b in the rod 3 and 4b in rod 4, are positioned adjacent each other mid-way between the spars A and B. Each bend 3b is secured to the adjacent bend 4b by a gusset plate 5 which overlaps the two bends 3b and 4b and is welded to these bends. The gusset plate 5 has a special construction by which it also serves as a climbing step in the tower structure. For this purpose, the plate is formed of a main section 5a arranged in a vertical plane, and a horizontal flange 5b extending inwardly of the tower from the top edge of the vertical section 5a. For welding of the gusset plate to the bends 3b and 4b, the vertical plate section 511 is provided with ribs or ridges 6 formed on the outer face thereof. If desired, the bends 3b and 4b may be welded to the inner faces of gusset plates 5a.

As shown in Figure 1, the three steps or gusset plates 5 located in a common horizontal plane are joined together by cross bracing formed of a rod 7 bent into triangular form. The corners of the triangular brace 7 extend beneath the horizontal plate sections 5b of the step plates 5 and are welded to the under face of the plate sections 5b.. Tofacilitate such welding, the under face of the plate sections 5b may also be provided with a ridge or rib 6 which engages the corner bend portion of the triangular brace 7 at two points.

The tower structure preferably is formed in sections 7 of limited length which are joined together by splice plates carried at the two ends of each spar in, each section. I prefer to use a structure generally like that disclosed in my co-pending application Serial No. 125,455, filed November 4, 1949. As shown in Figure 1, one splice plate 8 secured to the lower end of spar A extends lengthwise beyond the end of the spar, and it also extends laterally throughout its length towards the center of the tower and is provided with holes 8:: for receiving clamping bolts. A similar clamping plate 9 is secured to the upper end of spar section A and has a portion extending beyond the upper end of the spar and a lateral portion extending inwardly towards the center of the tower. The lateral portion of the plate is provided with holes 9a for receiving clamping bolts. It will be noted that clamping plate 8 is secured to spar section A on the opposite side of the spar from clamping plate 9 so that plate 8 is in a position to have overlapping relation with plate 9 on an adjacent tower section when two sections are to be arranged in alignment with the ends of the spars abutting each other. When in such overlapping relation, clamping bolts may be passed through the aligned holes 8a and 9a of the two overlapping splice plates.

In Figure 3, I have shown a tower construction substantially like that illustrated in Figures 1 and 2, except that the vertical spars are constructed in a diiferent manner. In this arrangement, instead of using round rods as the vertical spars, the spars are each formed of a section of channelled stock having a web 10 with side flanges 10a and 10b arranged at 60 to each other. The outer bends of the serpentine bracing members 3 and 4 are welded to the faces of the side flanges of the channel section, To facilitate such welding, the faces of'the side flanges are provided with parallel ridges 10c running throughout the length of the spar. The bracing members may be welded to the inner faces of the flanges 10a and 10b as shown in the two upper corners of Fig. 3, or they may be welded to the outer faces of the flanges as shown in the lower corner of Fig. 3. The leg angle preferably is formed of sheet stock crimped into channel form. The ribs 6 may be formed by a pressing operation in which the flanges are indented on one side to form the ridges on the other side.

I claim:

1. A tower structure comprising at least three vertical spars arranged at the corners of a polygon, late'r'al bracing rigidly connecting each pair of spars together and comprising two rod-like bracing members bent into serpentine form and arranged parallel with each other in a common plane between the pair of spars to be joined together, said bracing members being formed of continuous rod stock throughout the length of said spars, the outer bends of one serpentine bracing member overlapping and being welded to one spar, and the outer bends of the other bracing member overlapping and being welded to the other spar, the inner bends of said serpentine bracing members being arranged in horizontally spaced pairs mid-way of said pair of spars, and a vertical gusset plate joining together each pair of inner bends of said bracing members and having a horizontally extending flange at the top edge thereof and extending inwardly of said tower above the pair of bends joined by said plate to form a climbing step on said tower.

2. A tower structure according to claim 1 and including a cross-bracing rod extending directly between each pair of gusset plates located in the same horizontal plane and being welded to the under faces of the horizontal flanges of said plates.

3. A tower structure according to claim 1 wherein said spars are metal rods and the outer bends in each pair of serpentine bracing members are welded to the outer surface of the spars.

4. A tower structure according to claim 1 wherein said spars are formed of sections of metal channelled stock with the channel facing inwardly of the tower, and the outer bends in each pair of serpentine bracing members are welded to the side flanges of the spars.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS OTHER REFERENCES Theory and Practice of Reinforced Concrete, C. W. 10 Dunham, third edition 1953, McGraw-Hill, Civil Engineering Series, page 213. 

